Blue Origin's federal lawsuit against NASA has been dismissed, clearing the path for SpaceX to develop the Artemis program's human lunar lander.
Blue Origin contested NASA's decision to award the Artemis lunar lander contract solely to SpaceX. The company first protested to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), claiming NASA should have selected multiple providers to foster competition. That complaint was dismissed.
Undeterred, Blue Origin escalated to federal court, seeking to halt SpaceX's contract pending review. The program stalled as a result. On November 4, the Court of Federal Claims dismissed the case via Judge Richard A. Hertling, resolving the dispute.
Jeff Bezos commented on Twitter: "Not the decision we wanted, but we respect the court's judgment and wish NASA and SpaceX success on the contract."
NASA confirmed it will resume work with SpaceX: "NASA was notified Thursday that the United States Court of Federal Claims has dismissed Blue Origin's protest, upholding SpaceX's selection to develop and demonstrate a modern human lunar lander. We will therefore resume work with SpaceX under the contract as soon as possible," the agency stated in a press release.
NASA noted that contracts for additional lunar missions will be awarded next year, offering Blue Origin opportunities to secure future deals. For now, humanity's return to the Moon after over 50 years depends on SpaceX.
NASA is providing SpaceX with $2.89 billion for an initial uncrewed lunar mission, followed by a crewed one.
The missions integrate three key elements: A Super Heavy rocket launches Starship into lunar orbit. Days later, NASA's SLS rocket sends a crew in an Orion capsule to rendezvous and dock with Starship. Astronauts transfer to Starship for lunar touchdown. Return follows the reverse sequence.
This setup is transitional. Starship is designed for eventual direct Earth-to-Moon crewed flights. Moreover, with SLS launches exceeding $2 billion each and limited capacity, Starship's lower costs and higher payload make it a compelling long-term choice for NASA.
